Allan masox



(No Model.)

A. MASON. PROCESS OF BURNING GOAL AND HYDROOARBON FUEL.

No. 405,967. Patented June 25, 1889.

WITNESSES Z? INVENTEIR n, PETERS. PhalwLnhognphm, Washvnglon. o c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLAN MASON, 0F BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO HERBERT H. SANDERSON, TRUSTEE, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF BURNING COAL AND HYDROCARBON FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,967, dated June 25, 1889.

Application filed March 5, 1838. Serial No. 266,282. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLAN MASON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of Burning Coal and Hydrocarbon Fuel in Combination; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My improved process of burning coal and hydrocarbon fuel in combination consists of burning the oil or oil Vapors or gas in one or more suitable burners therefor, located in the furnace-chamber somewhat higher than the ash-pit, with ample surrounding space for the ashes to descend into the pit without clogging these burners, and at the same time maintaining a fire of coal around and above the oil or vapor burner or burnres with pulverized coal atoms in suspension and general distribution throughout the chamber, together with the requisite amount of air for the support of combustion, so that the mixture and union of atoms is in process of operation among and throughout the moving particles in all the space, and in far greater amount and intensity than as burned in a mass or bed on the coal-grate, with correspondingly more effective or perfect combustion and greater production and intensity of heat in a given space. lVhile I propose to avail myself of any approved efficient means of maintaining the suspension of the atoms of coal a sufficient length of time to effect the mixture and union of atoms while in suspension as by the showering of the same from the upper portion of the chamber, where it may be introduced by a fan slowly downward into or along with the air for combustion, the means which I represent in this example consist of air jets or blasts introduced in such manner as to produce currents, counter-currents, eddies, and cycles, calculated to bear up and distribute the coal till consumed, the coal being preferably introduced along with and by said jets,

but may be otherwise introduced, if desired; and for supplying the oil or other hydrocarbon or fuel I will employ sectional burners for the oil or gasthat is, burners located in diffel out sections or localities of the lower portion of the furnace-chamber-with ample space between and below them for the precipitation of the ashes below them from the coal-[i re, or injector-burners such as steamjet luirncrsall as hereinafter described, refereuce being made to the accompanying drawings; but the apparatus is reserved for separate applications for patents.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of an ordinary boiler-furnace with apparatus for injecting and maintaining the suspension of the coal atoms, together with apparatus for maintaining an auxiliary fire of hydrocarbon fuel in the lower portion of the combustion-chamber. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of alocomotive-boiler furnace with similar apparatus. Fig. 3 isa horizontal section of Fig. 2.

In Figs. 1 and 4: (t represents an ordinary return-flue boiler, I) the combustion-chamber of the furnace, (l the fire-door, c the ash-pit, andf the flue back of the bridge-wall g. In such a furnace I provide deflectors 71. 'L' j, of refractory material, as shown, or in any approved arrangement, with an injector k for air to be forced in, preferably at the back of the chamber, by a fan I or other means, and coal-dust charged into the air-spout by a screw-feeder m or other means, to be carried along for feeding the furnace and for being mixed and combined with the air and held in suspension for combustion by it.

It will be seen that the blast first traverses the chamber a little above the ash-pit, spreading more or less. Then it is turned upward violently by the deflector 71., and, coming in contact with deflector ii, is then projected forward against j, which turns it downward into he incoming blast, which takes along with it any yet unconsumed particles and prevents them from falling into the ash-pit.

It will also be seen that these appliances may be readily fitted to a common boiler-furnace already in use without material expense of fitting, and may be as readily removed.

For adaptation of the same method of consuming coal atoms in suspension to the combustion-chamber b of a locomotive-boiler firebox at, the injecting-nozzlev may have no In or ous branches 7s entering near each side from below the side walls of the fire-box and projecting upward into the opposite angles, so as to meet over the cent-er of the chamber and produce gyrat-ing cycles by their counter action adapted to maintain the suspension of the coal atoms until consumed. By this method all the combustible matters in the coal will be effectually consumed with greater economy of fuel, and an especial advantage is gained in the total prevention of clinker and slag. \Vhat ash is developed may fall in part into the ashpit through some localities where the eddies favor it, while some may be carried over the bridge-wall and descend where the cycles have less suspending effect.

Together with the fire of coal atoms thus maintained throughout the chamber generally, I combine also an auxiliary fire of hydrocarbon or gas fuel in various ways, as oilburners in the lower portion of the furnace at or about the locality of the ordinary firebed, or one or more injector-burners for the purpose of renewing the fire of coal-dust in cases of interruption, to which it is liable by irregularity or clogging of the feed and other causes, and also of adding to the capacity of the furnace for useful effect. As an ordinary fire of uniform spread over the area of the chamber would fail of this purpose, because it would soon be clogged with ashes from the fire above, I employ sectional or separate burners p, with wide spaces between them, through which the falling ashes from the upper fire may descend into the pit, said burners being of such limited transverse extent that the ascending currents from them will turn away into the pit such matters as might tend to fall into them, and thus be self-protecting so far as the falling matters of the upper fire are concerned. These burners may consist of trough-shaped drawers, adapted to slide in and out of the furnace through one side, adapted for withdrawing them from time to time for cleaning and repairs; but it is not essential to have them draw out, to which troughs oil may be supplied by suitable feed-pipes s, from any suit able source of supply. The troughs will be perforated in the upper portions of the sides for the supply of air, and the upper edges will preferably be flanged over horizontally, as at i, which flanges will be perforated with numerous small holes, through which air will be distributed in jets .frombelow for the better admixture with the gases and vapors rising from the burners. The troughs will also be covered with wire-gauze u, and will be charged with refractory or refractory and absorbent material-as porous stone w, or asbestus, or both-some portions of which, particularly of the latter, may extend up through holes in the wire-gauze for wicks ac, to take up the plained.

oil and vapors. Instead of these burners inj ector-burners-such as make use of a steamjet for injecting and distributing oil or gas may be used, 10 being a steam-jet nozzle having suitable connection with the boiler, m the oil or gas feeder, and pan inlet for air. Compressed air may be used instead of' steam for injecting theoil.

I am aware that coal and oil have been burned or attempted to be burned by injecting oil upon the coal-bed in the furnacechamber, which, it is to be noted, is the reverse of the improved process which. I claimthat is, injecting the (pulverized) coal into, upon, or above the oil-fire. When oil is projected on a coal-fire to be consumed, it seems to sud= denly extract from the coal the more volatile portions, which consume readily and leave it hard and slaty, which residue does not burn readily, but soon dies out, and has been found impractical and so ineffective as to be too expensive as compared with coal alone in the usual methods.

I disclaim herein the process of burning culm or pulverized coal, as set forth in my application for a patent thereon filed March 5, 1888, Serial No. 266,281, and also the apparatus therefor, as set forth in my application for a patent thereon filed March 8, 1888, Serial No. 266,556.

I am aware that pulverized coal and oil have been mixed together preparatory to being fed into the furnace, and then together distributed therein by air-jets with the intention of burning them together in suspension, and pulverized coal has been injected into a furnace over and beyond a limited coal-fire lo cated directly inside of the furnace-door, and materially short of the locality in which the injected coal burns, and employed solely to ignite the injected coal at the beginning, and whenever subsequently required; but these methods are not what I propose, and I do not claim them; neither do they accomplish my purpose. There is no fire, practically, in either case except that of the injected fuel, while the merit of my method consists of a material and substantial oil-fire in the 10- cality of the furnace-chamber when the combustion of the injected fine fuel takes place, to which the fine fuel is injected and together with which said fine fuel is burned, these two fires together producing more intense and economicalcombustion thana single fire of mixed coal and oil or coal alone, or of oil injected on a coalfire, as I have before ex- \Vhen oil is mixed with the fine coal and injected or distributed together, the volatile oil burns out so much more rapidly than the coal that the coal is practically left to burn alone, whereas in my method the oilfire is maintained in sufficient body to continuously re-enforce the coal-fire with the requisite strength or force of combustion to insure its most effective combustion.

I disclaim herein the apparatus for burning' cuhn and lump coal'described in my application for a patent filed June 8, 1888, Serial No. 276,529.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of burning coal and oil in combination, which consists in maintaining independently-supplied separate and locally distributed oil-fires in the lower portion of the furnace-chamber, producing an essential portion of the heat generated, and at the same time separately injecting fine coal into the furnace above the oil-fires, and for a time maintaining it in suspension over and about the oil-fires, substantially as described.

2. The method of burning coal and liquid ALLAN MASON.

Witnesses:

W. J. MORGAN, A. P. THAYER. 

